EP0344814A2 - Automatic changer-system for information carriers - Google Patents

Abstract

Changer of information carriers such as discs or optical cards, sleeved discs or personal cassettes for protection etc., characterised in that means are provided for making a mobile magazine for information carriers, in the form of a ring in which the carriers are disposed flat in a plane close to the horizontal, mutually parallel, inclined and angularly offset so that they can partially overlap, means are provided for positioning in the middle of the ring, a recording/reproduction apparatus, fixed in its horizontal plane, means are provided for transporting the carriers, means are provided for maintaining a direct relationship between the elements for locating and for identifying the position of the information carriers. <IMAGE>

Description

There are already many changer systems on the market intended to automatically handle information carriers contained in mobile or fixed stores, removable or not.
A large storage capacity of supports is naturally very desirable and all the more interesting if the stores can be designed very flat making it easier to make portable and more aesthetic devices.

These information carriers can be for example discs or cards carrying optical recordings, or even for example small discs of magnetic recordings contained in a cassette or individual protective envelope.

The object of the present invention is to propose means for producing an automatic changer for multiple information carriers, very flat, very economical to produce and very reliable, the contents of which can be easily identified and selected.

To achieve these goals, it is essentially proposed to produce a mobile information storage store, in the form of a ring or part of a ring in which the supports are arranged in a plane close to the horizontal, parallel to each other, but slightly inclined and angularly offset so that the supports can partially overlap, evenly around the periphery of the ring; means are provided for position in the middle of the ring, a recording / reproducing apparatus, fixed in its horizontal plane; means are provided for transporting the information medium from the store to the reproduction apparatus and vice versa; means are provided for keeping the information carriers in the store centered; means are provided so that each position in the store is in direct relation with the elements for locating and identifying information carriers; means are provided to make the media store possibly removable.

It is conventionally that we speak below of horizontal plane because the device is designed to operate in all planes, without influence of gravity.

This system can be implemented with certain manual functions or fully automatically as required.

In order to clearly understand the invention, the following non-limiting examples will be described.

There is shown in FIG. I, a store I in the form of a flat ring in which cavities or corridors 2 can receive, for example optical discs 3, optical or electronic circuit boards 4 or rigid envelopes or cases 5 containing small magnetic or optical discs 6 .

The magazine is mobile and can rotate in a box 7 provided with an opening 8.

When one of the locations 2 is positioned opposite the opening 8, a support 3 ′ for example can be inserted or removed from the device.

FIG. 2 shows how the magazine can be rotated.

The store I has two flat surfaces 9-I0 in the form of rings.

Walls II form cavities or corridors I2 which can receive the information carriers.

A fixed motor I3 drives by a belt I4 a pulley I5 driving, by a rubberized roller I6, the rotating store, guided by rollers I7 arranged on the periphery of the store.

If the momentary wheel I7 is moved aside for example in the direction of the arrow I8, the magazine becomes removable in the direction of the arrows I8 ′.

FIG. 3 shows how the supports here represented in the form of discs 3 overlap and allow a large quantity of the supports to be placed in a very flat magazine.

In the center of the mobile store I is placed a fixed recorder / reader I9 for tracking the information carried by the supports (3-4-6).

Each information storage location of the mobile store must be positioned in relation to the fixed elements of the device.

There is shown in FIG. 4 an example of a selector allowing the positioning of I2 information carriers.

The magazine rotates in the direction of arrow 20 on an insulating frame 2I provided with current conducting pads 22 arranged concentrically with respect to the pivot center of the magazine.

A wiper 23, integral with the magazine I forms a short-circuiting bridge between a conductive ring 24 and the pads 22 by rotating, the wiper 23 will therefore successively each time conduct the electric current from the pad 24 to the individual pads 22 supplying the latter with positive current from a source 25.

The areas 22 lead to manual switches which allow one or more selections to be programmed in advance, each area 22, when its switch is closed, supplying power, via the common connection 26, the coil 27 of a relay 28.

When the coil 27 is not supplied, the switch 29 which it controls magnetically is normally closed and the motor I3 therefore receives current from the source 25-25 ′, and drives the magazine in rotation.

The wiper 23 scans all the ranges 22 and when it reaches the range 22 ′ which is the selection corresponding to the manual switch N ° I0 given here as an example, the coil 27 will be supplied and the switch 29 will open, and the magazine I which was driven by the motor I3 will stop.

Simultaneously, another switch 30 of the relay 28 will close and send a pulse to start the cycle of the mechanism described below.

FIG. 6 gives an example of a cycle which must perform the mechanical functions of transporting the information carriers and of locking them.

A motor 3I drives a cam 32 by teeth 33 and a worm screw 34, in the direction of arrow 35.

Two notches 36-37 in the cam act on a switch 38 to perform 2 half cycles.

As soon as the motor 3I receives a pulse by the switch 30 of the relay 28, it drives the cam 32 in rotation and the switch 38 closes by being pushed out of the notch 36 and will remain closed until the notch 37 will allow it to open, the motor 3I will therefore be supplied during the half-cycle which will have brought the disc 39 from position B in the magazine, in position A in the recording / reproducing apparatus.

A lever 40 pivoting in 4I and driven by a stud 42 on the cam 32, first pushes the clamp 43 in the direction of the arrow 44 and, as the disc abuts against the fixed wall 45, the edge of the disc is gripped as shown in FIG. 7.

This clamp can be produced for example as in C by the two arms of a spring 46 which move apart under the thrust, or by cups 47-48 under the action of spring washers 49-50, or for example made in flexible molded plastic E, bending by elasticity.

When the pliers have gripped the edge of the disc (C ′, D ′, E ′), the latter can be pulled by the lever 40 to position A, in the direction of the arrow 43 ′.

Coming to abut against the fixed stud 5I, the disc 39 stops and the clamp 43 continuing, disengages, and the disc is on the drive motor plate 52 of a reproduction device 53, (F).

A ramp 54 forming part of the cam 32 can then press a centering core 55, carried by a lever 56, and the disc 39 is claimed (F).

At this time the first half cycle is completed. When the information carried by the disc 39 is processed, the 3I motor can receive a pulse and the second half of the cycle can begin.

By turning, the cam 32 will first release through the ramp 54, the clamp 55-56.

Then, as the disc is free, the clamp 43 does not open, the pressure being too low, but pushes the disc by the edge as in the CDE views to its location in the magazine I, in the direction of the arrow 57.

FIG. 5 gives an example of the means provided for centering the information carriers in the store.

Spring lugs 58-59 can be formed or molded directly in the walls of the store or be made by spring strips fixed to the walls of the latter.

The disc 3 will be kept centered, the spring tabs having 2 branches 60-6I ending the movement of the disc as well when it enters the store manually through opening 8, only when it returns from the reproduction device to the store.

In FIG. 4 it can be seen how the position of the magazine is in direct relation with electrical detection elements, and in FIG. 8 we can see how identifications placed on the store are in direct relation with the positions of the information carriers.

FIGS. 8-9 show a device made with certain manual functions.

A rotary magazine 62 is provided with a serrated rim 63 which can be driven in manual rotation through an opening 64 made in a box 65, in the direction of the arrows 66.

Identifications are placed together on the store, which can be delimited and read through, for example, a window in the cover of the box 65.

When we therefore bring in the store window, the identification N ° 2 given here as an example, we see that the corresponding disc 68 is located opposite the mechanism that must transport the disc to a processing device 69.

This movement can also be manual or motorized as described in FIG. 9.

The discs are kept centered in the magazine 62 as described above.

A slide 70 can move in a plane substantially similar to that of the stored discs.

This slide is provided with teeth 7I and can be driven by a motor and gear 72-73.

The slide is provided with tabs 74-75 intended to push the disc in the direction of the arrows 76 and bring the disc 68 into position 68 ′ in the reproduction / recording apparatus and vice versa.

A simple manual electric reverser makes it possible to control the direction of the motor and limit switches 77-78 delimit the limit switches of the slide 70.

Grooves 79 are provided in the magazine 62 so that as soon as the slide begins its travel, a stud 80 secured to the slide 70, engages in one of these preventing the magazine from being able to be manually rotated for the entire duration of the mechanical cycle.

An additional electrical safety device can also be provided when the magazine is driven by a motor to prevent, for example, being able to introduce an information carrier during the rotation of the magazine.

A slide 8I (FIG.I), placed between the magazine and the walls of the box comprising the loading / unloading opening, can be moved manually to take 2 positions, one removed, releasing the opening 8, the other pushed back fully closes the opening 8 and closes the switch 82 placed in the store engine supply circuit allowing it to be active only at this time.

This slide fulfills other functions and can for example form the stop 45 when gripping a disc by the clamp 43 and also prevent dust from entering the device in this position.

Here is an example of another clamp system that can grip the information carrier and transport it with care.

On the part 43 of the lever 40, is fixed by means of a screw 87, a piece of spring steel 88 in which a biased edge 89 of a tab 90 is provided.

Two rubber nipples 9I-92 are part of 88 and 43, facing inward, FIG. I0 A.

A fixed rod 93 is provided to cooperate with the biased part 89.

In FIG. I0 B, it can be seen that the lever 40, moving in the direction of the arrow 94, makes the biased part 90 and the fixed rod 93 cooperate, and the distance between the pins 9I-92 is increased and allows them to come place on either side of the edge of the disc 39.

When the tab 90 has passed the fixed rod 93, the spring of the part 88 returns it to its initial position and the edge of the disc is clamped between 9I-92, FIG. I0 C.

When the lever 40 now returns in the direction of the arrow 95, FIG. I0 D, the tab 90 passes below the rod 93, and the disc remains tight, and the lever 40 can transport the disc in its reproduction apparatus.

Towards the end of the stroke, the edge of the disc comes into contact with the stopper 5I, and as the lever 40 continues, the pressure provided for 9I-92 allows, at a certain point, to slide on the surface of the disc until that it is completely released and free to be able to be rotated.

At the end of the reproduction of the information, the lever 40, now moving in the other direction, simply pushes the disc back into its magazine housing, without opening the clamp because there is no need to grip the disc. in that direction.

If the system is to be used for specific uses such as vertical devices for wall mounting, the information carriers can be moved from the storage position, directly into the reproduction device, by gravity, collets not being not necessary in this case.

FIG. It gives an example and represents the same elements as those represented in FIG. 6 but shown in a vertical position.

The disc 39 can slide in 2 rails 96 forming part of the magazine.

A spring strip 97 is fixed at 98 to the magazine also, and keeps the disc centered.

A slide 99 is held engaged in the notch 37 under the action of the spring I00.

As soon as the cam 32 begins to rotate in the direction of the arrow 35 to start the cycle, the notch 37 pushes the slide 99 in the direction of the arrow I0I from the position I02 into the position I03, and which cooperates with the part I04 of the spring leaf 97 in the direction of the arrow I05.

The disc is released and falls on the part 43 of the lever 40, which going down allows the disc to follow by gravity, from position B to A.

When at the end of the reproduction of the information the cam continues to rotate to carry out the second part of the cycle, the lever 40 pushes, by the part 43, the disc 39 in its storage position, the slide 99 engages in the notch 37 and releases the spring strip 97 which again keeps the disc centered in the magazine.

Claims (13)

1. Information carrier changer such as discs or optical cards, discs in envelopes or individual protective cassettes etc., characterized in that means are provided for producing a mobile store of information carriers, in the form of a ring in which the supports are arranged flat in a plane close to the horizontal, parallel to each other, but slightly inclined and angularly offset so that the supports can overlap partially, evenly around the periphery of the ring ; means are provided for positioning in the middle of the ring, a recording / reproducing apparatus, fixed in its horizontal plane; means are provided for transporting the medium from the magazine to the reproducing apparatus and vice versa; means are provided for keeping centered, the information carriers in the store and means are provided for maintaining a direct relationship between the locating and identification elements and the position of the information carriers. 2. Changer according to claim 1, characterized in that the means provided for producing the store of information carriers are produced by two flat walls in the form of a ring and intermediate walls or guides in which the supports can be guided in a forced position close to the horizontal, offset from each other. 3. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the means for maintaining a direct relationship between the locating and identification elements and the position of the information carriers are produced by inscriptions or graphics attached to the mobile store, and a window or delimited area on the fixed device. 4. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the means provided for maintaining a direct relationship between the locating and identification elements and the position of the information carriers are produced by wipers or brushes. short-circuit mounted integrally on the mobile magazine and conductive pads of a fixed electrical circuit. 5. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the mobile magazine is rotated by an electric motor or can be accessed and rotated manually. 6. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the means provided for transporting the information carriers from the store to the reproduction device and vice versa are produced by a motorized cam driving a lever provided with a clamp capable of gripping the edge of the support, the clamp opening automatically when a sufficient relative pressure between the clamp and the edge of the support is reached and grips the edge to allow a traction of translation, the clamp disengages automatically when the support encounters a stop on its course; when the information carrier is pushed towards the store, the relative pressure between the clamp and the edge of the support being too low, the clamp does not open and simply pushes the support by its edge without gripping, until near its location in the store. 7. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the means provided for transporting the information carriers from the store to the reproduction apparatus and vice versa are made by a translation slide moving in substantially the same plane as that of the information carriers in the store and provided with two branches to push and pull the information carrier in its positions. 8. Changer according to claim 7, characterized in that the translation slide is driven by an electric motor or can be driven manually. 9. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in cd that the means provided for keeping the information carriers centered in the store are produced by spring tabs molded directly in the walls of the store or fixed to the store. 10. Changer according to claim 9, characterized in that the tabs forming a spring are each provided with 2 branches coming to cooperate with the edge of the information carrier in order to act both at the exit or at the automatic entry of the support in the magazine only when the support is manually inserted in the other direction in the magazine. 11. Changer according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the translation slide automatically blocks the possibility of rotation of the magazine as soon as it leaves its waiting position, cleared. 12. Changer according to claim 11, characterized in that the means provided to prevent rotation of the magazine are a stud mounted integrally on the slide and which can engage in grooves made in the magazine. 13. Changer according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the housing of the device has an opening store, each position being automatically identified by the corresponding inscriptions or graphics carried by the store.

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